


The Wedding

by raeinspace



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-08
Updated: 2015-02-08
Packaged: 2018-06-07 00:40:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6777739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raeinspace/pseuds/raeinspace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma & Regina are engaged and preparing for their wedding. Will they make it to the altar or will their pasts keep them from going through with it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Wedding

Chapter 1.

Emma held out her hand and waited for Regina to take it. The ex-Queen rose gracefully from her seat and stepped towards her wife. It was their song. “I won’t give up” by Jason Mraz. The song Emma had sung to her at the karaoke and the one they had danced to at Ruby’s wedding.   
Footsteps followed the soft beat as Emma led her towards the dance floor, hands moving automatically to their places. Her right went around Emma’s waist holding her close, the other intertwined their fingers and she tucked her elbows in bringing their hands up against their shoulders. Emma rested her head against Regina, closing her eyes.  
“I love you.” She whispered.  
Regina smiled and directed them slowly around the dance floor as other couples came to join them. Her eyes glanced down at their wedding rings giving her a strange feeling in her stomach as she remembered the last time she had worn one.  
The air chilled, the lights flickered and Regina frowned as the song quietened down. She looked around to see what was happening. Emma had stepped away from her, moving back towards Snow and Charming. Regina reached for her, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. Slowly she turned around.   
Leopold.  
He smiled at her, words echoing those spoken so long ago and grabbing her arm. “My wife.”   
Regina tried to move away, but she was trapped. She looked around for help, for Emma but she only saw the faces of her enemies. Leopold pulled her close as another song began to play, forcing her to dance with him. Regina tried to speak, but the crowd’s chant drowned everything out.  
“Long live the Queen.”  
-  
Regina woke, gasping for breath, her body trembling. She quickly pushed back the covers, ran into the bathroom and locked the door. After looking around to make sure she was alone, her body crumpled down onto the cool tiles. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she rested her forehead against her knees and stared into the darkness surrounding her skin. She kept her voice to a whisper, reminding herself that it was just a dream. She was in Storybrooke, and Leopold was dead. The nightmare wasn’t real.   
When her breathing finally evened out she lifted her head and, blinking as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings. She could pick out the light switch on the wall, but knew if she used it Emma would wake. Regina didn’t want her to worry. Taking one deep breath, then another, she relaxed her arms and legs before trying to stand. As she walked back to the bed, the fingers on her right hand reached for her left, twisting the ring on her finger.   
Regina slipped into her usual place on the bed, drawing the blankets towards her. Emma turned over, moving closer to her, but didn’t wake. Regina watched her sleep for a little while, her eyes following the curve of Emma’s eyelashes to the outline of her stubborn chin. She liked this, having Emma in her life, in her bed. Just knowing the other woman was there, noticing the change when they were alone together. Emma had to put on a show for the rest of the town, try to live up to her friends and family’s expectations as the Saviour and daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. When it was just the two of them she could relax, let her guard down. Regina loved this Emma. She wanted to protect her, look after her and keep her safe, even though she knew the rest of the Storybrooke would laugh at the idea. No matter what happened, they still remembered the past and were waiting for her to prove them right. She didn’t fear that anymore. Ever since Emma’s first kiss she knew she couldn’t turn back. She had felt the love behind it and knew that was what she wanted. Love was better than hate or anger. It made Emma strong and it made her want to be good enough for the woman she loved.   
“I know you’re watching me.” Emma muttered without opening her eyes, interrupting Regina’s train of thought.  
“I…”  
Emma lifted one eyelid to peer sleepily at her fiancée and smiled. “At least cuddle me if you’re awake.”  
Regina smiled back and inched closer to her, lifting one arm to slide over Emma’s body. “Better?”  
“Much.”  
They had only been engaged a few months, but since Emma’s surprise proposal Regina had been finding it harder and harder to sleep. When she accepted, it had been in the heat of the moment, her love for Emma banishing any other thoughts. Later that day, she had tried talking to Emma, asking if marriage was really necessary.   
“This will show everyone we belong to each other… with each other.”  
“Our love is here to stay, we don’t need a wedding. I know it and you know it, forget about everyone else.”  
“It’s something normal. Growing up every old film or tv show I watched had the couples in love getting married, making them a real family.”   
“You have a family. You’ve got Henry and your parents…” Regina reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind Emma’s ear as she looked into her eyes.   
Emma hadn’t understood then and now it was too late to tell her. She’d suggested a long engagement as an alternative, intending to visit Archie for his help to work through her issues. Emma was just so happy with the idea of their marriage she had agreed without listening.   
Regina had been surprised by Snow’s happy reaction to the engagement. It seemed that her daughter’s big day would finally give her a chance to be part of her life. Her input was welcomed by Emma, the idea of bonding with her mother over flowers and dresses one of the first times Regina had seen her care about any of those subjects. Before she knew what was happening, Snow and Emma were making real plans for the wedding. There were bridal magazines on their bedside tables, guest lists were being drawn up and Emma was asking her opinion about which month they should marry in.   
The days became hazy, her mind trying to protect her heart, allowing her to continue with her daily routines. Snow roped Ruby into taking Regina dress shopping, but here she put her foot down. They weren’t even in the shop. The moment she saw the white dresses in the window she had a flashback of the day she was being fitted for her last one.   
Fleeing to Archie’s office, she managed to gain control of herself before she could knock on the door. After the hyperventilating was over, she sank into one of the waiting room chairs, propping her elbows onto her knees and lowering her head into her hands. With her eyes closed she allowed the tears to fall.   
Later she was grateful no one had passed by to see her. She wasn’t sure whether Archie had been in his office with a client or taking Pongo for a walk. Either way, it gave her a chance to remove all signs that anything had been wrong. She magicked herself home and splashed some cold water on her face, reapplied her make-up and called Ruby to apologise for her departure. Ruby accepted the excuse she came up with and suggested rescheduling. Regina politely declined. She would wear something similar to her work clothes - neither Snow White or Prince Charming had enough understanding of this world to take over as mayor of the small town – but agreed to purchase something new. That was part of the wedding tradition after all. 

Chapter 2.

There was a new entry in her diary. Regina took the little book out to her secretary to ask about it. She didn’t remember any conversations cancelling the previous meeting, which had now been crossed through just above it.   
“Oh yes, Emma rang.”   
“It’s just a time and place. Did she say why?”  
“Sorry.” Amy shrugged and passed it back. “She phoned in and said she’d made the appointment for both of you. Luckily I was able to move a few things around and…”  
“Without discussing it with me, first?”  
“I assumed you knew about it.”  
“No. I’ve been slaving over budget reports for the meeting, which I thought was tonight…”  
“Everyone seemed relieved to have another week to…”  
“A week?” Regina’s tone suddenly reminded her secretary whom she was dealing with. “If this isn’t agreed by…”  
“I’m sorry…”  
“Important works are going to be delayed…” Regina slammed the diary shut and took a deep breath. “In the future, I would appreciate it if you would talk to me before cancelling important appointments.”  
Amy hoped she wasn’t about to get a fireball aimed at her head. “Perhaps you could colour-code them?”  
“What?”  
“You could mark things to indicate which are important in red, so I know not to change them. The ones in blue I discuss with you first and anything in green is okay to change if I think the new thing is more important. I mean, as your secretary, people are going to come to me before arranging to see you so…”  
Regina smiled. “That sounds like a wonderful idea.”  
Amy’s shoulders sagged in relief. She was going to live.  
“Please try to get hold of Emma for me, I would like to see exactly what she has planned for this evening. She knew about the meeting, so I assume that whatever it is will be important.”  
-  
Regina stood outside Henry’s school, frowning at Emma. Amy hadn’t been able to contact the Sheriff, but from the location Regina assumed it was something to do with their son and decided it was important enough to attend.   
“Dance lessons?” She repeated for the second time as though she hadn’t heard her properly.   
“Yes.” Emma smiled. “The school gym is big enough to practice in and Simon, one of the teachers, gives dance lessons on the side so it’s perfect.”  
“I know how to dance.”  
“It’s for the wedding. We’re having music from this world too, remember?”  
Regina tried to hide her annoyance and let Emma lead her inside. When she realised they would not be learning alone, she was even less amused. She recognised the teacher as one of the palace courtiers. In this world she had allowed him to teach, though she couldn’t remember which subject – his only intelligence had lain in an ability not to take sides when she sought Snow White.   
He was waiting for them. Snow and Charming were there as well. Emma smiled and slipped the backpack hung causally over her shoulder. She unzipped it and held it out towards Regina.   
“Don’t worry, I picked you up some comfy clothes from home. I didn’t think you’d want to dance in your mayor outfits, in case they get wrinkled.”  
Regina recognised the grey material as her workout t-shirt. She only wore those clothes at home, where no-one could see her. There was no way she would wear them here.   
She re-zipped the backpack and thrust it back towards Emma. “I’ll be fine.”  
“But your heels…”  
“I’ve danced in less comfortable footwear.”  
Before Emma could ask, Simon was gliding towards them and welcoming them. “Have you considered which dances you would like to learn first? Perhaps that First Dance to your Special Song?”  
“I already know how to dance.” Regina muttered.  
“Ah yes, I remember.” Simon smiled at her. “But perhaps there are one or two songs particular to this world, where the more formal style of dance is not suitable, hmm?”  
“Exactly.” Emma beamed at him. “I have been thinking about the playlist. People like to dance at weddings, so we want lots of upbeat songs and those old-world waltzes seemed a bit outdated…. Except for the first dance, like you said, that will be to Our Song and it’s slow enough that I’d like to try the proper dancing…”  
“Excellent. I’ll show you the selection I brought with me today and then if there’s anything else I can bring it next time. What sort of dances are you used to?”  
As Simon led Emma to where he had set up his music player, Regina trailed a few steps behind. Snow took a few hesitating steps towards her, as if afraid of her reaction, then looked for her husband. Charming, as always, had followed by her side.  
“I’ve been talking to some of the court musicians from our world. They’ve offered to play some of the old songs for the wedding, and they’ll record them so Emma can practice the steps.” Snow explained.   
Regina ground her teeth together and nodded to be polite. She didn’t want to talk to Snow. If only Emma had spoken to her about this, she could have suggested that they have private lesson just the two of them. It wasn’t that she worried about dancing in front of the two idiots, she just wanted there to be some part of the wedding where they weren’t involved.  
Half an hour later and Regina was prompting Emma to twirl during one of the dances. Emma kept looking down at her feet, little huffs of air passing between her lips as she concentrated. Although she hadn’t stepped on Regina’s toes yet, she was conscious that it was a possibility. At one point Emma suggested that she could just sway and let Regina twirl and do all the fancy moves. Thankfully Simon intervened and suggested that it was David’s turn to dance with Emma. Regina retreated to the far end of the room to watch as Simon partnered Snow.  
“I wish I could dance like that.” Emma admitted looking over her fathers shoulder.  
“I’d offer to help you practice but I’m a bad dancer.” David whispered to Emma as he watched the other couple trying to copy their moves. “Perhaps your mother…”  
“I just want the wedding to be perfect. Do you think it was a mistake bringing Regina today? She already knows all of this, but I wanted a chance to dance with her and we’ve both been so busy we haven’t spent much time together lately. I just wanted to show her that I’m trying to learn so if I mess up on the day she won’t be upset.”  
David’s steps faltered as her words sunk in but Emma didn’t notice. “Have you spoken to her about this?”  
“Well, no… and maybe I shouldn’t have left this as a surprise…”  
“Probably not.”  
“It’s just that I was speaking to Simon when I dropped Henry off at school and all the arrangements were last minute.”  
“I know, your mother explained. Even if she doesn’t want to take the classes, I’ll come and be your partner. It’s really not fair on her, having to dance with me when she’s so good. Maybe talk to Regina and find something else you can do together for the wedding. I know she’s busy with work but it will be here sooner than you realise.”  
“Thanks.” Emma blinked and stopped moving - the song had come to the end.   
Snow and Simon were over by the speakers, already looking over the next tracks. Emma looked around and noticed Regina was checking her cell for messages. She hoped there wasn’t going to be a faked emergency to excuse her leaving early. 

Chapter 3.

Emma crawled into the bed, her eyes already closing from exhaustion. It had been another late night at work, thanks to more of Leroy’s drunken antics. Pulling the blankets up to her chin, she reached out for Regina wanting to fall asleep with their bodies pressed together. She heard Regina mumbling something and assumed she was talking to her.   
“It’s only me, I’m sorry it’s so late, go back to sleep.” she yawned as her hand moved over Regina’s hips.   
Except Regina wasn’t awake. The real world somehow became merged with her dreams and Regina struggled, kicking out and moving her arms to free herself. Emma gasped as Regina’s foot made contact with her skin and backed away before Regina could elbow her in the stomach. She felt magic fill the room and was more than a little scared.  
“Regina, wake up.” she tried, hoping her voice would get through.   
The air grew heavy from the weight of Regina’s unconscious powers and all Emma could do was reach out to try and regain contact with her body. Her fingertips curled around Regina’s arm, her voice still gently calling to her.  
Regina screamed out a final ‘No!’ before she jolted awake. The magic remained like an aftertaste at the back of her throat as she tried to calm enough to regain control. Her breathing was heaving and she pulled away from Emma’s touch, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around herself.  
“Regina?” Emma was concerned, so she tried to move closer but the look in Regina’s eyes stopped her from touching her again. “You were just having a bad dream.”  
Regina nodded, but didn’t speak.  
“Do you want to talk about it?”   
Regina shook her head. Emma didn’t know what to do. She wondered whether she should call Archie. Slowly, Regina pushed back the blankets and moved out of the bed.  
“I need… I’m going to get something to drink. You should go to sleep.”  
“Regina…”  
“I’m fine.” Regina grabbed her dressing gown and slipped out of the room before Emma could stop her.   
Laying back on the bed, Emma couldn’t close her eyes. She could still feel the magic in the room and she was worried about Regina, so she waited for her to return. When the clock showed nearly half an hour had passed, she tiptoed over to retrieve her own dressing gown and went to look for Regina. She found her sitting in the kitchen, a full tumbler of cider on the counter in front of her, just staring out of the window.   
“Please talk to me.” Emma whispered, not wanting to startle her. “Tell me what’s wrong.”  
Regina turned her head, watching Emma sit down next to her. She wanted to tell her, she wanted to explain how everything was happening so fast, but she didn’t think Emma would understand.   
“It was just a bad dream. A nightmare.”  
“That won’t help,” Emma nodded to the tumbler. “Are you sure nothing else is bothering you? You’re not having second thoughts about…us?”  
“I love you. It’s just the wedding, everything’s happening so fast…”  
“It will all be over soon. I know my mother’s a bit suffocating with all the preparations, but she means well. Then we’ll be together, just us and Henry.”  
Regina reached out and put a hand on top of Emma’s. “We’re together now.”  
“Yeah, but this way… don’t you see, everyone will know how much we love each other?”  
Regina realised she had to do some damage control and fast. She didn’t want to lose Emma; she loved her so much. Telling her the truth would just upset her.   
“You’re right and I do want us to be happy.”  
“We are, but this… it’s just meant to be. I love you Regina.”  
“I love you too.”  
Emma held out her arms. “Come back to bed?”   
Regina gave in.  
-  
“Wedding tomorrow!” Snow’s singsong voice carried through the mansion to where Regina was trying to hide in the bathroom.   
Thanks to Emma’s warning about her mother’s arrival time, Regina had been able to plan an excuse to leave after a polite ten minutes spent in her company. Archie was expecting her and if Snow tried to keep her any longer, he was under strict instructions to ring and save her. She had already re-folded the towels on the rail twice and organised the cabinet behind the mirror, at least if anyone asked she could tell them truthfully that she had been busy. Ten minutes. That was all she had to spend in the cheerful woman’s presence. Letting out a sigh, Regina opened the bathroom door and proceeded down the stairs.  
“Isn’t it exciting,” Snow greeted her. “I hope we’ve remembered everything.”  
Of course they had. As if Snow would allow any small detail to slip through the cracks for her baby girl’s wedding. Regina smiled politely back at her and went to stand by Emma.   
“Now, what time does your bachelorette party start?” Snow asked. “I need to make sure we have Emma out of here in time.”  
“Seven.” Regina reminded her. “Is David still picking Henry up from school?”  
“Yes, they’re going to have so much fun on their own at the loft. Ruby has given us the whole of the top floor for Emma’s party…”  
“I think that was to give Granny some peace and quiet.” Emma told her.  
“Well, anyway it was very good of them. I’ve spoken to Belle and arranged our schedules at each place so we don’t accidentally meet up.”  
“I still don’t understand why we can’t share the parties.” Emma grumbled.  
“It’s your last night of freedom, a chance to go out drinking as an unmarried woman. From tomorrow…”  
“I don’t think I’ll be doing anything tonight that I wouldn’t do any other night.” Emma promised Regina.  
“I didn’t say you have to,” Snow frowned.   
“Don’t worry.” Regina tried to reassure Emma, slipping a hand into hers. “I trust you.”  
Emma smiled and leaned into her. “I trust you too.”  
-  
Snow had somehow divided their friends into two groups. Emma would be going out with Snow, Ashley, Ruby and Johanna. Regina was left with Granny, Belle, Kathryn and a late addition of Archie. She had invited him shortly after their meeting that day, intending to spend the evening quietly at home with a few movies and her ‘gang’. She suggested he might like to come along for slightly selfish purposes – if they started talking to her about the wedding she might need his help not to react. The films were all comedies with minimal romance, and nothing with weddings in. She calculated they would be finished watching them in plenty of time for an early night.  
By ten pm, her plans had gone out of the window. Ruby had shown up early in the evening with a new plan: a scavenger hunt. Each group would head out into Storybrooke to complete different tasks – either finding or doing something, which she claimed would be lots of fun. She had explained that this way she could share the same things Emma would be doing, even though they didn’t have to see each other. Being outnumbered, Regina gave in. Ruby assured her that the list was taken from an internet search, and not just from the things she had thought up.   
The first item on the list was simple: gather up the traditional wedding items (something old, new, borrowed and blue) from anywhere except at home. Belle suggested a library book for something borrowed, Archie remembered some blue flowers growing near his office, Granny offered to go to the diner and find the oldest coin in the till and Regina thought they should go to the shops to buy something that would be new. They set out, having to stay together for the tasks, and quickly picked up everything they needed. Once everything was together, Belle took a photo and sent it to Ruby.   
A few minutes later, a reply photo came back, congratulating them on winning and showing their incomplete ‘treasures’. Time for the second task.   
-  
Regina wasn’t sure what time she finally crawled into bed. Her feet ached, her legs ached, her back ached… but she had enjoyed it. She checked her phone before switching off the bedside lamp, smiling at Emma’s message and sending a reply.   
When she woke, it was her wedding day.

Chapter 4.

There was birdsong outside her window. Emma groaned. If her mother had anything to do with that awful noise…  
“Hung over?” Ruby’s cheerful voice floated towards her, a few seconds before the curtains were opened and light poured into the room.  
Emma turned her face down into a pillow and begged her to close them again. Ruby switched off the alarm clock, set by Snow the night before and shook the nearest of Emma’s legs to try and get her attention.   
“C’mon Emma it’s your wedding day!”  
“What time is it?” Emma groaned, longing for the darkness of the closed-curtains room to return.  
“Time to get up and have breakfast. You’ve got a long day ahead and…” Snow busied about the room, checking that her daughters clothes were still hanging up and listing all of the things that needed to be done; from hair and make-up to getting to the wedding on time.  
“Granny’s downstairs and she promised chocolate chip pancakes if you’re down in the next ten minutes,” Ruby tried coaxing her. “Otherwise it means more for me.”  
“I thought Granny was part of Team Regina on your plan? Shouldn’t she be over there making breakfast?”  
“Eight minutes…” Ruby told her, avoiding the question. “Unless you’ve changed your mind about getting married?”  
Emma felt as though she had swallowed a lead weight at the idea. “No way.”  
Ruby smiled as she watched Emma drag herself from the bed and stumble into the bathroom. She and Snow left the blonde alone and went to let Granny know that Emma was coming down for the pancakes. It had been a surprise when Granny had shown up on their doorstep early that morning. Apparently Regina was more than capable of getting her own breakfast and waking up to an alarm clock. She had politely asked her guests to leave and allow her to get ready alone. Granny hinted that Archie had looked worried at Regina’s words, but the cricket was eager to get back to check on Pongo and hadn’t confided the reason why to her. They had agreed not to tell Emma.   
-  
The cider wasn’t strong enough. Regina had already finished one small bottle but her stomach wouldn’t settle. She found a bottle of Emma’s favourite vodka in the back of one of the cupboards and topped up the tumbler she had been using for the cider. Three half-glasses in and she began to feel numb.   
Much better.  
She could do this. She was still in control, all she had to do was show up and say a few words and then it would be over. Once the ring was on her finger and she was married to Emma everything would be fine. She just had to get through the wedding. She could do it.  
Re-sealing the vodka bottle, Regina headed upstairs, planning: make-up first, then the clothes and finally her hair. Archie was coming back to drive her to the little church where the nun-fairies had spent most of their curse-days.   
When he arrived early, she called down to tell him to sit down, that she was nearly ready. Her wedding outfit wasn’t quite as she had told Ruby it would be. It was only like her work outfits in that she wore a tight fitting skirt and a suit jacket. The entire outfit was white, with the exception of a red lacy vest top underneath just peaking at the top of the jackets opening. Emma always appreciated her in this style of skirt and once the ceremony was over she planned to change into something a little easier to move in, this skirt only allowed her small steps.   
She waited until she was downstairs before calling to Archie. He made the appropriate comments about how lovely she looked and held out his arm to escort her to the car. She brushed his concerns away when he asked how she was felling, and he told her that it was natural to be nervous but that everything would be fine.  
-  
“You look beautiful.” David told his daughter as she stepped into the room and he saw her in the dress for the first time.  
Snow and Ruby were hovering in the background so Emma bit back the comment that they had chosen it and thanked him. She felt strange wearing it; the only kind of dresses she had worn before were short, tight fitting ones and even those occasions could be counted on one hand. Her mother fussed around her, checking that her hair was still perfect, that her make-up was intact.  
“Perhaps you should go on, make sure everything’s ready?” David suggested, reminding them that Emma was supposed to arrive last.   
Ruby had to literally drag Snow away, despite her continued assurances that she was leaving. She smiled and gave Emma a ‘thumbs up’ gesture for luck, saying that they would see them at the church.   
Alone at last, David stepped towards her. “How are you feeling?”  
“Nervous, excited…” Emma ticked off her list, feeling a little calmer with just her father in the room with her.  
“I felt the same, except that I was just a shepherd boy about to marry a Queen.”  
“Regina used to be a Queen,” Emma reminded him.  
“And you’re a princess...”  
“…who used to be a bail bondsperson. I guess I should be grateful we’re stuck in this world.”  
David smiled at her. “I’m sure that whatever world the two of you ended up in, you would find a way to make it work. That’s the secret power of love.”  
“True Love,” Emma reminded him, even though they hadn’t tested it.  
David nodded. “Today you’re going to walk down that aisle and get married. Thank you for letting me give you away. I know you’re still getting used to having us around as your parents…”  
Emma reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, “I’m just glad I found you, both of you.”  
David hugged her then, ignoring Snow’s warnings to be careful of the dress. His baby girl was getting married. It felt like he was letting her go again, except this time he knew where the wardrobe would lead. He had expected Regina to break her heart, had hoped that the relationship would end swiftly so Emma could move on. When it didn’t, and they announced their engagement, all he could do was hope that his daughter had finally found her happy ending.

Chapter 5.

They pulled up outside the church, and Regina saw Emma’s car pulling up a little further down the road. They were supposed to enter from different sides of the building, to avoid meeting as they walked down the aisle. Her heart soared as she saw Ruby help Emma out of the car and saw her in the wedding dress for the first time. She was so beautiful.   
“Regina?” Archie asked, holding open the car door for her, “It’s time to go in.”  
I can do this, Regina told herself closing her eyes and wishing she had brought a little bit of alcohol with her. I won’t let Emma down. If I don’t go through with this she’ll hate me and I can’t lose her.   
Regina picked up the bouquet of flowers from the seat beside her and took a deep breath. Her hands trembled over her lap as she looked down at the white skirt. Suddenly magic leapt from her fingers, and the skirt altered, became a puffy dress. Regina dropped her flowers and waved her hands over the material to try and change it back.   
Nothing happened.  
No, no, no.  
She felt her stomach tighten as she realised the dress was just like the one she had worn to marry Leopold. She couldn’t move.  
“Regina?” Archie stuck his head through the door to see what was delaying the ex-Queen. “Did you get changed?”  
Blinking away tears that had begun to build in her eyes, Regina shook her head. “I…”  
Before she could finish speaking, a cloud of magic engulfed her and she vanished from the car.  
A second later and she re-appeared in the manor. There was a floor-length mirror in front of her and she gasped when she saw her reflection. She flashed back - to the day when her mother standing beside her as the dress was being fitted - to Leopold proposing - to walking down the aisle….  
“Please, stop this...” she whispered, her eyes closed.  
She tried to gather her magic and remove the dress, but it didn’t work. Her hands rose up to the sleeves and she tried pulling it away from her skin but the material didn’t budge, no matter how hard she struggled with it. Regina’s legs gave way as she started to hyperventilate and she curled up on the floor, crying.  
The same images flashed through her mind. Daniel – Cora – Leopold – Snow. Everything that caused her pain; that made her feel weak. She was helpless to stop it.   
-  
Archie ran over to Emma, David and Ruby, waving his arms to try and get their attention. They waited calmly for him, not expecting bad news.  
“Regina’s gone,” he gasped, looking around at them.  
Ruby didn’t understand. “What do you mean?”   
“She was in the car, then… magic… and poof, gone…”   
“Oh my god, we have to find her!” Emma panicked, “dad, who would take her? Gold has magic, or the fairies, I don’t know…”  
“Calm down, it’ll be okay.” David put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.  
“Yeah, don’t panic. Maybe she saw us out here and used her magic to go inside, so you wouldn’t see her until it’s the right time,” Ruby suggested.  
Emma picked up the front of her dress so she could move and headed towards the church, “let’s go check.”  
David managed to overtake his daughter, calling out that he’d take a look in case Ruby was right and Regina just didn’t want Emma to see her yet. She waited impatiently at the side door where Regina was supposed to enter, Ruby’s hand on her shoulder. When David came out, shaking his head, a cold knot formed in Emma’s stomach.   
“Where is she?”  
“No-one’s seen her.”  
“Hey,” Ruby stepped around so she could look at Emma as she spoke, “why don’t you see if you can use your magic to find her. I bet she’s forgotten something and had to rush off to find it, she’ll be back any minute wondering what all the fuss is about.”  
“Really? Regina Mills? Did she forget the wedding rings perhaps? Or maybe her earrings?” Emma was suddenly angry, “Stop trying to pretend everything is okay. What if she’s hurt? Someone could have kidnapped her, or…”  
“Emma, there’s no-one who wants to hurt her…”  
“Your dad’s right, Em.”  
Emma shook off Ruby’s hand. “Then why isn’t she here? If she hasn’t been taken by someone else, that means it’s her magic that carried her away. Do you really think she’d leave like that on our wedding day?” She caught the not-so-subtle look that passed between Ruby and Archie at those words, “oh my god, you think that’s what she’s done?”   
Ruby opened her mouth, but no denial was issued forth. She looked at Archie, waiting for an explanation, but the cricket couldn’t, or wouldn’t, give her one either.   
“Dad?”  
“I don’t know,” for once David was out of Charming words, “has Regina said anything to you about the wedding?”  
“No, she’s happy. I mean, sure, she’s been busy with work a lot recently, but she wanted this…”  
“Are you sure?” Archie prodded.  
“She said yes. I proposed and she said she’d marry me.” Emma didn’t realise there were tears in her eyes until David reached out to wipe one away. “She told me she loves me.”  
It was then, at the worst possible moment, that Mary Margaret came out of the church looking for her daughter. “Oh Emma you look lovely. Doesn’t she David? I think you’ll have to wait a moment, Regina’s not here yet…”  
Ruby shared another look with Archie, who was trying to shake his head at Snow from behind Emma. Snow seemed to be too focused on Emma to notice. The blonde had gone quiet. She was thinking about something Ruby had said. Perhaps her magic could help her locate Regina and then she could find out what was going on.   
Concentrating on her heartbeat, Emma closed her eyes and focused on thoughts of Regina. She pictured her smile, the way she laughed when Emma and Henry were messing around, the way she felt in her arms at night when they were alone...  
Without warning, Emma was swept away by her magic, leaving her friends and family speechless outside the church. 

 

Chapter 6.

Emma called Regina’s name as she ran into the house, up the stairs and along the corridor to their room. Some kind of protection spell had been cast on the mansion, stopping her magic from taking her inside, but the door opened to the turn of her key to her relief. She called out again, as she pushed the bedroom door open. The large bed was in the way, so her first view of Regina was the reflection in the mirror, a sea of white material spread out around her and her body curled into a tight ball.   
“Regina?” Emma whispered, going over and kneeling down in front of her, a hand reaching out towards Regina’s shoulder.   
A tear-stained face lifted up at the contact, eyes showing surprise that Emma was there. Regina began to cry again, so Emma pulled her into a hug and waited. Eventually the tears subsided and Regina was able to speak.  
“I’m sorry.”  
“What happened?” Emma asked, brushing a thumb over one cheek then the other to remove the last tears.  
“I can’t do it, I can’t marry you. Even though you’ll hate me, I…”  
“I don’t hate you, I just want to understand what happened. Where did this dress come from? I didn’t think you wanted to wear one?”  
“I couldn’t control it, my magic just brought it here and I can’t get rid of it.”  
“It’s a lovely dress,” Emma stroked the material, feeling a little envious.   
There hadn’t been anything like this available in the wedding dress shops she had visited. She thought Regina looked amazing.   
Choking back another sob at her hatred for the dress and it’s memories, Regina managed to explain: “it’s the one I wore to marry Leopold.”  
Emma frowned as she took in the new information.   
“I was sitting in the car and waiting to get out, but… all I could think about was the last time I got married. I don’t even know what happened, the magic was out of my control. One minute I was sitting in the car and the next I was whisked away back here.”  
“So you only started to have second thoughts today? That’s normal, it’s called having cold feet.”  
“It wasn’t just today…”  
“How long?”  
“It’s just.. I got caught up in everything, all the preparations and excitement… when you proposed…I love you so much, Emma. I want you to understand that I can’t imagine not spending the rest of my life with you…” Regina was rambling, no longer meeting Emma’s gaze. “It was all happening so fast. I wanted to talk to you, but I don’t know where the time went.”  
“I understand.” Emma slowly reached out and put her arms around Regina, rubbing her back in a soothing motion. “You’re afraid of getting married because of what happened last time. You just need to talk to Archie. Everything will be fine.”  
“You’re not angry?”  
“I love you. If you’re not ready to get married yet, I can wait.”  
“What if I never want to get married? What if I want everything to stay the way it was before?”  
“We’ll ask Archie to help.”  
“Emma, you’re not listening…”  
“Look, I know it’s not easy, but he’s actually a good psychiatrist…”  
“And if it takes years? Ten, twenty…”  
“It won’t, you’ll see.”  
Regina took a deep breath. Before she could come up with any further arguments, Emma leaned in and kissed her. She could feel Emma’s hands moving over the long white gloves and up over her bare shoulders. Emma’s fingers stroked her neck, then one hand moved down Regina’s back white the other cupped the back of her head, pulling her in closer. Losing herself in the kiss, Regina didn’t realise Emma was starting to tug on one of the gloves to try and remove it. She had kept her hands resting lightly around Emma’s waist, but as Emma’s fingers slipped through hers the skin-to-skin contact caught her attention.   
“You did it!”  
Emma pulled back and smiled at her, “True Love’s kiss breaks any spell, remember? Now, why don’t we see if the dress comes off too…”  
Regina laughed as Emma’s hands wandered to the seams trying to find a way to remove the dress, “do you mind if I try to find something else to wear first?”  
“I guess using magic to remove it is out of the question?” At Regina’s nod, Emma gave a dramatic sigh before standing and offering Regina a hand, to help her up.  
“I think I’ve used enough magic for one day,” Regina explained.  
Emma sat down on the bed as she watched Regina head to the wardrobe, hoping it wasn’t too soon to return to talking about the wedding, “you can talk to me if you want.”  
“Hmm? What was that?”  
“I said, if you don’t want to talk to Archie, you could talk to me. Help me to understand what happened today. I mean, I know most of it already, you just have to fill in the gaps, talk to me about what you were feeling…”  
Regina pulled some clothes out and carried them over to the bed, “it’s complicated.”  
“Almost everything that has happened to us falls into that category,” Emma reminded her. “Please, I just want to help. I love you.”  
Reluctantly, Regina agreed, “but if the wedding outfit returns…”  
“I’ll just have to kiss you again,” Emma promised.  
-  
They talked. Emma brought up some alcohol and poured two glasses for them, knowing that it would make it easier for Regina to open up. It worked. Regina told Emma about the ring Daniel had given her, how she had only been able to wear it for a few minutes before her mother killed him. It felt like hours to Regina, but she forced herself to continue, pushing aside thoughts of the people who had been expecting to see a wedding today. They would come for them eventually, wanting to know what had happened. She told Emma about her marriage to Leopold, the way her mother had forced her into it and the kind of life a second Queen could expect, especially when she was constantly compared to the first. A few of the details were skipped over, but she shared her feelings about the marriage, as Emma had asked and Emma patiently listened, holding her hand and letting her speak. Afterwards, she let Emma talk. The blonde explained how much she loved her, why she wanted them to get married and that she would wait until Regina was ready. They discussed marriage and long-term engagements and just living together without any of that. She promised Regina that what they had was different, that she had nothing to worry about.   
Piece by piece, she wore away Regina’s objections. Between words and kisses, promises and a reminder that they were each others True Love, Emma found Regina slowly relaxing. They were nearing the end of the bottle, and Regina’s body was pressing against Emma’s as her eyes began to close. Emma took the glass from Regina’s hand and placed it with her own on the bedside table before giving in to Regina and lying on the bed beside her. It felt strange to lie down in her wedding dress. She supposed it didn’t matter now if it wrinkled.   
“I love you,” Emma whispered to Regina.  
“I love you too,” Regina replied, sounding too sleepy to know what she was saying.  
Feeling safe in Emma’s arms, Regina fell asleep. Emma watched her, waiting a few minutes before slipping out of the bed and going outside to make a phone call. She spoke to her father, explaining that Regina was fine, but the wedding was off, and asking him to send everyone home. He offered to look after Henry, but she declined knowing Regina would want to explain things to him when she woke. When she went back into the room, she resumed her position and waited.  
-  
Henry had a key to the mansion. It was his home after all. Emma expected her parents to drop him off and leave once they were sure everything was fine. When she went downstairs after hearing the front door open, she was surprised to find that they had brought Archie with them.   
“Shhh, Regina’s sleeping,” she told them, as their voices carried through the house.  
“Sorry.”  
Henry ran over to meet her at the bottom of the stairs, “what happened?”  
“Your mom’s magic got a little out of control, but it’s all sorted now.”  
“Did she get hurt?”  
“No, she’s fine, just tired.”  
“Can I go and see her?”  
“Alright, but be quiet.”  
Once Henry was upstairs, Snow demanded to know what had really happened. Emma tried to explain that the stress of the wedding had made Regina’s magic act a little crazy and that she was upset. She knew Archie wouldn’t believe her, but her mother just asked if the magic would endanger anyone. Thankfully she could be honest about that.   
To be polite, she offered to make everyone something to drink, and when Henry returned she took out some snacks from the cupboards. Her parents and Archie didn’t seem ready to leave, so she shared out the snacks and tried to keep the conversation away from the wedding.

Chapter 7.

Waking from her brief nap, Regina hoped for a moment that it had all been a dream – or some kind of nightmare - though deep down she knew it wasn’t. The engagement ring was on her finger and she covered it with her right hand, trying to imagine not wearing it. Slowly, she pulled it off. Her finger felt lighter. Leaving the bed, she walked over to the floor-length mirror and looked at her reflection as her thoughts clamoured for her attention. The fear was still there, she could feel it even now. Her mothers words came back to her, and she remembered standing in front of a mirror as her wedding dress was fitted, listening to those words.   
“I’m not that person anymore,” Regina whispered to her reflection.   
It was true. She had found the strength to send her mother through the mirror – admittedly at the suggestion of Rumplestiltskin – and she had opened her heart to love again, something she thought was over when she lost her father. First there was Henry, her son, and now with Emma.  
“Do you really want to lose them?” she asked herself.   
She looked down at the engagement ring, remembering how Emma told her that they represented something she had always wanted but never had growing up; stability and a chance to be happy like everyone else. Emma had said the rings were a symbol to show everyone that they would always be together. Suddenly it didn’t seem so frightening, and Regina slipped it back on. A few deep, calming breaths later and nothing happened. No wedding dress appeared, no cloud of magic pulled her away.   
“So far, so good.”   
Regina rolled her eyes at that, realising she was talking out loud. The words sounded like something Emma would say.   
Emma.  
Her heart quickened at the name and following thoughts. She ran to the bedroom door, determined to find her and tell her how much she loved her.   
Downstairs, she was surprised to find an audience waiting; Snow, David and Archie were in the kitchen with Henry and Emma. Everyone was still in their wedding clothes. Regina paused in the doorway, before raising her chin a little higher and entering the kitchen as though nothing was wrong. Emma moved from behind the counter to meet her, while the others watched, not sure what to say. With Emma’s hand in hers, Regina focused her attention on the woman she loved.   
“Let’s get married.”  
“Regina, you just…”  
“I want to be your wife, and I want you to be mine.”  
Emma’s smile was hesitant, afraid that Regina didn’t really want this. “Are you sure?”  
“Yes. Now, while everyone’s still here.”  
“I sent everyone home,” David reminded her.  
“We don’t need them, just someone capable of performing the ceremony,” Regina explained.  
“You want the wedding here?” Snow looked as surprised as everyone else felt.  
“Oh, how about in the garden?” Henry suggested, not seeming phased by the fact that less than an hour earlier the whole thing had been called off.  
“What a lovely idea Henry. Emma?” Regina asked, looking to her for approval.  
“I… I….” Emma blinked, looking around at her family, and then back to Regina, “I guess if that’s what you want.”  
The marriage licence was only valid for 90 days, and only in Maine so she couldn’t suggest eloping.   
Regina nodded, “a small wedding.”  
“I’ll see if I can find the notary,” David told them, looking to Snow who indicated that she would wait with Henry.  
“I should get changed,” Regina explained, looking down at her clothes.  
“I’ll come with you,” Emma told her, still holding her hand, not wanting to let Regina out of her sight.  
Regina smiled, but didn’t try to stop her. They walked up the stairs together, not stopping to see what the others thought of their plan. Emma watched Regina change clothes, though only her head was visible over the screen Regina had magicked into place. She explained that she didn’t want Emma to see the surprise she was wearing underneath the wedding outfit. Intrigued, Emma had agreed.   
“Did I tell you how gorgeous you look in that dress?” Regina asked when she finally emerged and vanished the screen.  
Emma blushed, “thank you. Although it’s a little creased now.”  
Regina waved her hand and the dress returned to its pristine condition.   
“You could have done that with your clothes,” Emma reminded her.  
“We have a little time before David returns.”  
“Nothing’s set up in the garden, I can’t remember if the grass was cut recently…”  
“I’m sure a little magic can help with that,” Regina assured her, giving Emma one last kiss before they left.   
-  
Regina directed Snow and Henry towards the flowers in the garden, explaining which they should cut to make Emma’s bouquet. Archie and Emma set out a few chairs, with Emma continuing to watch Regina out of the corner of her eyes. When they were done, they went over to join the others.   
Archie drew Regina to one side, his curse-memory training making him want to check that she was alright even though she had never officially been one of his patients.   
“Are you sure about this?” he asked her.  
“Yes.”  
“I thought you were here to help.” Emma interrupted, overhearing their conversation.  
“I’m just worried about Regina, I don’t want her to feel pushing into doing this if she’s not ready...”  
“No-one’s forcing her to do anything,” Emma objected, knowing that her mother and Henry were just out of earshot.  
“We’ve just been talking,” Regina assured him. “I want to marry Emma, we just needed to talk through some things I had been avoiding.”  
“She told me about her last marriage, but ours won’t be like that.”  
“Regina…”  
“Thank you for your concern, but everything is fine.”  
Archie shook his head, wishing he could believe her, “if you ever want to talk…”  
“We know where your office is.” Emma told him, putting a hand around Regina’s waist and drawing her away.  
-  
Fifteen minutes later – Emma had been watching the clock – David returned with the notary who had agreed to perform the ceremony. Granny, Ruby and a few others came with him – the wedding guests had all gone to the diner and David had found the notary there, so once he explained that the wedding was back on, a number of people had followed them to the mansion.   
Archie grabbed a few more chairs from the house, while Granny and Ruby brought in some food they’d prepared for the original post-wedding celebration. Emma and Regina waited patiently outside in front of the notary, having decided to forego a walk down the ‘garden aisle’. Once everyone was ready, Ruby switched on some music at low volume, from one of Regina’s classical CDs. Emma reached out and held one of Regina’s hands as they listened to the notary begin the ceremony. They smiled at each other, not really hearing the words, and had to be nudged by Henry when it was time for them to speak.   
The vows were simple, loving promises, which brought tears to Snow’s eyes. She snuggled closer into her husband and watched her daughter exchange the rings. They all cheered as the couple were pronounced officially married and Snow reached into her handbag for the environmentally friendly – and definitely bird-friendly – confetti.  
“Congratulations!” she called as everyone swarmed around the new couple, grinning as Emma pulled her into a hug.  
“You did it!” Henry told his mothers, looking happy as it was his turn to be hugged.  
Regina looked down at the new wedding ring on her finger. All she could feel was happiness, like bright bubbling joy in her heart.   
“How does it feel to be Mrs Swan?” Emma asked.  
“You mean Mrs White,” Snow corrected her.  
“Actually,” David interrupted, “you should have taken my surname in the old world when we were married.”  
“Your shepherd name or your prince one?” Henry teased him.  
“I like Mills,” Regina told them. “Emma Mills has a nice ring to it and as Henry and I are already using that surname it would be easier to change one name than two.”  
“Oh boy,” Henry shook his head, “shouldn’t you have figured this out before the wedding?”  
Emma and Regina broke out laughing at all of their faces. Of course they had figured it out. Only Henry seemed to realise the joke, Snow and David were still looking worried, so Emma and Regina explained together.   
“We are now the Swan-Mills family.”   
Then Regina added with a wink: “legal name change paperwork has been submitted, and I am assured the mayors office can fast-track the request.”  
Snow tried the new surname, to see how it sounded. Then she nodded.  
“I like it.”  
“Hey guys,” Ruby called over, her head sticking out of the kitchen window, “who’s hungry?”  
David and Henry raced towards the smell of food, leaving Snow to follow at a slower pace. Emma saw Archie hanging around them, so grabbed her new wife by the hand and quickly led her towards the house.   
“How do you feel?” Emma asked.  
“Good. You?”  
“Great.”  
“Then I’m changing my answer…. To wonderful.”  
“Awesome,” Emma countered.  
“Amazing.”  
“Fantastic.”   
“Fabulous,” then Regina laughed at how silly they sounded. “I love you Mrs Swan-Mills.”  
“I love you more, Mrs Swan-Mills.”  
“Now don’t start that again!” Regina continued to laugh as they entered the house, Emma’s fingers entwined through hers.  
Luckily David and Henry hadn’t had enough time to polish off all of the food…yet. Granny was passing out plates from the cupboards, as though she knew where everything in the kitchen was kept, and insisted on helping the newlyweds dish out whatever they wanted.  
“I’m afraid it’s turned into a bit of a buffet, and everyone will have to find somewhere to sit instead of the organised seating plan you’d arranged…”  
“It looks wonderful,” Regina assured her.  
“Yep, everything’s perfect.”  
They wandered back out into the garden. It was such a lovely day that she wanted to sit outside. They had just found two empty seats when a screech from Snow stopped them from sitting down.  
“Emma, wait right there!”  
“What’s wrong?”  
Snow ran over, waving her handbag, making everyone within earshot stare at her, “You forgot…”  
“What?”  
“The photographs! We need to take your pictures.”  
“Is that all?” Emma began to lower herself onto the chair.  
“No, wait!”  
Rolling her eyes, Emma straightened back up, “is there something wrong with the chair?”  
“No! Yes! If you sit down you’ll ruin the dress, or you might spill food down it. You have to wait, you’re father’s gone to get our camera. It’s only in the car.”  
When Emma turned to look at Regina, she saw her wife struggling to hold back her laughter. She couldn’t help but smile too.   
They were going to have a good life together. She didn’t know how she knew, she just did. They had family and friends around them, people who cared enough to think about the little things like memories of their wedding day which they would appreciate – though not right then, Emma was so hungry!  
They allowed Snow to organise the photographs. She directed everyone around the garden, trying to find the best areas of light and grouping them together. Eventually Granny reminded her that it might be nice for her and David to be in the photographs, and took the camera from David to make that possible.   
It was late by the time everyone started going home. Henry was asleep in the dining room, head on the table next to a plate containing a slice of uneaten wedding cake. David and Emma managed to carry him up the stairs between them, David lifting under his shoulders and Emma making sure his feet didn’t drag on the floor.  
Soon, only Regina and Emma were left. They were still sitting in the garden, looking up at the stars. Emma had brought out a blanket after taking Henry to his room. Her head was resting on Regina’s shoulder, her eyes beginning to close.  
“Goodnight Mrs Swan-Mills,” Emma fought back a yawn.  
“Are we sleeping out here tonight?” Regina asked. “What if it rains?”   
Emma didn’t answer, her eyes had already closed as she fell asleep. Regina smoothed out the blanket and turned her neck so that she could place a kiss on the top of Emma’s head.  
“Goodnight, my love,” she whispered, magicking a waterproof marquee over them and closing her own eyes.  
The End.  
-  
AN: I hope you enjoyed the story. Yes, Regina gave in too quickly/easily in this last chapter, but I wanted to finish it at last so I skipped ahead. It was never meant to be this long but the one-shot wedding scene suddenly had a nightmare for Regina in it and well...I just kept writing. I might write a new story for the honeymoon... maybe.


End file.
